


Seasons (of Love)

by reversetheuniverse



Category: Homestuck
Genre: College AU, F/M, day one of davejade week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-21
Updated: 2016-06-21
Packaged: 2018-07-16 08:52:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7260901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reversetheuniverse/pseuds/reversetheuniverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From crushes to parties to even dorm turkey, Dave's first year of college is definitely not what he expected it to be. Not even in the slightest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seasons (of Love)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Day One entry for DaveJade week on Tumblr!!! It ended up being hella long, but I like how it turned out, and I hope you do, too. Enjoy!! :)

**_August_ **

So he’s new at this. But luckily enough for him, there are a sea of kids (or adults; they are all eighteen, after all) all in the same boat as him, all confused as ever and nervous as they are broken from their tethers, their lifelines to safety.

Dave bids adieu to his brother with a groan ( _“Be safe! Use condoms, lil man!!”_ ), and gets ready to face the world of college. He has a good idea of what might happen, but fuck if he’s prepared for it. All he knows is that he’s all moved into the dorm, his side of the room plastered with posters of bands and music paraphernalia he’s acquired over the years, and now all that he has left to do is either explore (nope, not gonna happen) or wait for his roommate to arrive so he can force friendship upon him because his separation anxiety is nigh high right about now.

At least, he hopes this guy will be okay with that. People get pretty touchy about friend groups nowadays.

After a good ten minutes of waiting (with an aj break inbetween) his roommate arrives, and he has the sneaking suspicion that this guy will be just fine with being friends with him. The boy with black hair and thick, blue-framed glasses waves to him, chipper as ever, then sets his blue gym bag onto his bed and plops down beside it.

“Hey, man, I like the shades! I’m John Egbert, by the way.” Dave nods in acknowledgement, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Dave Strider. This your freshman year, too?”

“Sure thing! Came all the way over from Maryland to California for this school,” John replies.

“Wow, that’s a pretty long way. To think, I just popped over here from Texas and thought it was a hella long distance.” John shrugs.

“Maryland was boring, and I’ve been dying to check out the west coast all my life! When I got the scholarship here, I knew it was the place for me. If I didn’t, well . . . out of state tuition is expensive.” Dave nods in agreement.

“Hella. I got lucky though because my brother’s been saving up for me for a long while, so he let me pick the college of my choice. Of course, I did get a grant or two here and there, so that helped. Plus, tuition here isn’t _that_ terrible. And it’s a good school.”

“It sure is!” John beams. His mood shifts quickly, though, a serious expression wrought on his face as he leans forward. “But I’ve got something to tell you.”

“Yeah?” Dave asks.

“You and me are gonna be best friends. You don’t get a say in the matter. You’re sticking with me from now on, compadre!” Dave smirks.

“Guess what? I was gonna say the same thing, too.”

“Good! But I just have one test you have to pass before we seal this friendship deal. What’s your stance on Betty Crocker?” Dave shrugs.

“She’s not my cup of tea. Her food is too overbearing.” John scrutinizes Dave for a moment, stroking his chin before a grin spreads across his face.

“You passed my test! I think we really are going to be the best of friends!”

“Count on it, Egbert. You just count on that.”

 

**_September_ **

At the end of the first week of living on campus, right before classes start, the college holds a “Freshman Bonfire Bash”, an event where the freshmen gather together and party away their last hours of freedom before essays and exams are thrust upon them like an unwelcome guest (or herpes, Dave thinks to himself). So Dave and John, socialites that they are (it’s a joke; they’ve been holed up in their room playing video games the entire week, only leaving once or twice for food or the bathroom), attend the bash, noticing right away that social cliques have already been formed, and Dave and John missed out on that _entirely_. Dave groans inwardly.

He showered for this shit! He shaved away the rough, manly stubble he acquired (or peach fuzz as a dainty, bob-haired blonde noted during one of his trips away from the dorm, razor and shaving cream in hand; he didn’t really much care for her rudeass comments, though) for this shit!! He could be in his dorm wasting time on video games like he planned, but _noooooo_ , freshmen were _required_ to come to this freshman shit fest of theirs. So he and John buck up and pull on their big boy panties (as their floor’s RA, Feferi, suggested rudely), peel themselves from the floor of their dorm, and make themselves presentable for the party before parting ways with their safe haven.

God, this is embarrassing to Dave. He’s standing with a red solo cup in his hand, but rather than it being cheap, shitty beer inside, it’s . . . ugh . . . _root beer_. He’d gladly pay someone to knock him out in order to prevent him from having to deal with root beer pong for the next few hours, but no one seems to be lining up for that. He’ll just have to enjoy a shitty soda and silence instead, standing next to John at the refreshments table like the awkward kids they are.

“Do you want to die as much as me right now?” Dave says after stealing an unsavory swig of sugary grossness from his cup.

“Yup. Do you think they’d believe us if we pretended to be sick right now?” Dave shakes his head.

“Nah, man. Fef would just hand us a couple of Alka-Seltzers and then tell us to, _“Build a bridge and get over it.”_ I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the women on our floor are very snarky.”

“Snarky? That’s no way to talk about a lady, Peach Fuzz.”

Dave turns his head when the unpleasant blonde he had run into the other day appears, a red solo cup in her hand, too. When she nears him, she’s close enough that he gets a whiff of her breath— _beer_.

“Where the fuck did you get alcohol?!” Dave exclaims, but the girl merely rolls her eyes at him, pressing a finger against his mouth.

“Maybe if you had interacted a little more, you might’ve found out where we were keeping the good stuff?” Dave sighs audibly.

“Touché. Now what’s up, dastardly mistress? Here to insult me more or what?” She giggles, black-stained lips curling upward.

“No. Believe it or not, I’m here because I thought the two of you could use another friend. Am I wrong?” John and Dave exchange glances before turning back towards her.

“We . . . _might_ ,” John admits. She extends her free hand in response.

“Rose Lalonde, snark extraordinaire.” The two of them shake her hand, introducing themselves.

“Dave Strider.”

“John Egbert.” After the formalities she places her cup on the table, grabbing at their wrists.

“So are you two gonna dance with me or what? We’re burning daylight here.” Dave and John nod their heads, setting their cups down and following her onto the dancefloor. Dave couldn’t care less about the music—it’s all pop and he’s not that kind of a guy, but John and Rose seem to enjoy themselves, so Dave lets himself join in on their fun. And he’ll be damned, he _is_ having a good time, regardless of what he thought earlier.

Dave’s reign of fun soon ends, however, as he bumps his back up against someone else, stopping him in his tracks. His signature shades fall to the floor and he feels exposed, eyes shut and hands combing the ground around the crowd of feet dancing blindly.

“Shit, fuck, _damn_!” he curses aloud, until he finally finds what he’s looking for. He places them back on the bridge of his nose, but when he opens his eyes . . . _whoa_. His world is very warped, and he’s certain that these are _not_ his sunglasses. What the hell?!

“Why do I have someone’s shades?” someone behind him wonders aloud, and he turns towards the source of the voice. Dave bursts into a peal of laughter over the sight—a girl with billowy, long hair and buckteeth is standing in front of him, shades on her face instead of her glasses. She does the same to him, because he’s got her glasses sitting on his own mug, and he’s sure that they are extremely unflattering. After a good minute of laughter, they both calm down, removing the foreign glasses from their faces and switching them in response. His world becomes darker again, much to his relief, but he’s also able to get a good look at the girl in question whom he experienced this mix-up with.

“Sorry about that,” she apologizes profusely once her sight’s returned fully. “I’m about as clumsy as it gets.”

“S’all good,” Dave waves it off, smirking. “It was a freak accident, is all.” The girl beams brightly, her pearlescent smile on display for him. Dave feels a tug on his heartstrings, but he elects to ignore it. Cool guys like him don’t have time for things like crushes.

“Well, I’m Jade Harley, by the way. I see you’ve already met my best friend, Rose,” she says, gesturing over to where Rose and John are still dancing like idiots.

“Dave Strider. And I bet she must be a real joy to have around.” Jade misses his sarcasm.

“She is! She’s also my roommate. I know she may seem a bit cold and condescending, but she’s a really nice person once you get to know her. She’s kind of like a tootsie-pop in that way.” _Lord_ , is this girl sickeningly sweet. Dave may have about twenty cavities by the time he’s done talking to her.

“I believe you. I’m sure I only hold slight resignations against her because I’m the same way—sarcastic and uncaring, a real cold fish.” Jade shakes her head.

“You don’t seem like a cold fish to me! In fact,” she says, taking his hand in hers, “You seem real warm!”

 _Be cool, be cool, be cool,_ Dave chants the mantra in his mind, but he finds that Jade is right. He’s a marshmallow deep inside, and the fact that she’s able to detect that right away confuses and amazes him at the same time. He’s still deciding how he feels about her, but he does know that if Rose wants to be his friend, then Jade will surely follow behind.

And _oh_ , how right he is.

 

**_October_ **

Classes start and pass by, and Dave falls into the gentle rhythm first semester has to offer him. He takes easy general education classes so that he can ease into the college lifestyle, and they suit him well. Rose is in his creative writing class and Jade is in his music appreciation class, and together along with John, the four of them become inseparable. When midterms roll around, they even study together, and Dave finds himself being divided between his friends during that time like he’s the child in the middle of a divorce and his parents are fighting over him for custody.

So they settle it like this:

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during lunch Rose gets him, while Jade gets him Tuesday and Thursday during lunch. To make it fair, they switch days each week. John settles with whatever free time he has, plus Saturdays and Sundays. Dave doesn’t mind this plan at all. In fact, he feels rather flattered to be fought over, but he never mentions that aloud to them.

After midterms is Halloween, and a girl down the hall from him, Vriska Serket, takes the opportunity of Feferi Peixes’ planned departure for that weekend to throw a big Halloween party, hoarding in booze in time for it. Dave plans his costume carefully, not even worrying about age limitations—what fun would it be to pretend that Halloween was for children? None at all, that’s the answer. But he wants to impress the masses, and unfortunately for him, he’s all out of ideas. What could possibly be the best Halloween costume for a hella cool guy like him?

The decision presses him, and it almost stresses him out more than exams.

“You’re thinking way too hard about this. Also, since when have you cared what other people think?” Jade asks him as they stroll around campus. They’re taking a break from studying because _fuck_ , their brains are about to combust from boredom. Dave zips his jacket up as a cool breeze passes over them, red and orange and yellow leaves floating about in its wake.

“It’s not that, Jade. It’s the principle of the thing. A good costume earns you cred.” Jade huffs out a laugh, shaking her head at him.

“I think you’re just being silly. Besides, this shouldn’t be your main worry right now. Worry about passing mid-terms, then we’ll get to the Halloween party.” Dave can’t disagree with her on that and drops the subject, pushing it to the back of his mind until he’s done with exams.

When it comes down to it, Dave passes all his exams with a satisfactory grade, and Halloween seems to rise to mind again. He asks his friends for advice, and all they can offer him are pathetic answers.

“A warlock?” Rose suggests. Ugh. _Hell no._

“Howie Mandel from _Little Monsters_?” John offers.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Dave sighs. “You two are officially the lamest.” Rose scoffs.

“I didn’t realize that our attempts to help you were subpar. Perhaps you should go ask someone else, if you’re that keen on insulting our own personal tastes.”

“Sorry, it’s just, I want it to be good, ya know?” John pats Dave on the shoulder, smiling sympathetically.

“Don’t worry, buddy, you’ll figure it out.”

And he does.

Well, he does the day of Halloween, but that doesn’t matter. His costume is simple, easy, and cool to boot. Plus, he figures it won’t be hard to fish for approval. And when night time comes around, he puts on his and walks down the hall to Vriska’s dorm with Rose (dressed as a witch) and John (dressed as a ghost buster, for crying out loud) in tow. He asks about Jade, but all Rose tells him is that they’ll meet her there, and he shrugs it off as an acceptable answer. They knock on dorm number 8, Vriska dressed as a spider greeting them with a dissecting stare.

“. . . Riiiiiiiight. Come on in, guys.” She gestures to the inside of her dorm and they shuffle inside, taking in the walls decorated from head to toe. Dave can’t help but feel a little bit jealous—why do they get such a large dorm room? He and John could barely fit in the one they have, and there’s only two of them. Whatever.

“Okay, so here’s the basic rundown. If you want drinks, you go find a teal dragon—that’s Terezi Pyrope, my roommate. She’ll give you a red solo cup of whatever you want, but don’t get stingy. There’s dancing, in the main part—John, don’t ask me how we got these beds out of the way for the night; I know you’re thinking about it but I’d sooner wring your neck then tell you. Seven minutes of heaven is at the closet, and there’s a cakewalk, too. But I swear to god, if you guys mess up the cakewalk, then I will pound you into next week.” Dave and John nod their heads violently, gulping while Rose stands to the side unaffected. “Oh, and here,” Vriska tosses a handful of little squares at the three of them. “Wrap it before you tap it. And if you just have to tap it, go to the connecting room. I’m not promising there won’t be anyone else there, but that’s your only option. End of spiel, now scram.”

“Fucking-A,” Dave wheezes, staring at the bunch of condoms in his grasp. “What the fuck am I supposed to do with this shit?”

“Dave, do we need to have the _talk_?” Rose teases, grinning. Dave shoots her a look of disdain.

“Fuck you. Oh, also, are we gonna address the elephant in the room? John, since when have you become acquainted with Vriska Serket?” John shrugs.

“Chemistry. She’s my lab partner.” Before Dave or Rose have a chance to respond, someone appears in front of them, her green eyes bright behind her coke bottle glasses.

“Hey, guys! Glad you finally made it!” Dave gives her a once over, his cheeks burning once he realizes what she is— _Princess Leia_.

“Jade, I didn’t realize you and Dave were doing couples costumes,” Rose says, smirking.

“Oh!” Jade exclaims, oblivious as ever. “That’s soooo cool, Dave! We’re matching!!” Dave has to give her credit; her naivety does ease the awkwardness of the situation tenfold. But fuck if Rose and John aren’t going to tease him about it for weeks on end.

“Damn right it’s cool. I can’t think of a cooler set of costumes than ours.”

“ _Nice save_ ,” Rose whispers. He jabs her in the side with his elbow, but Jade doesn’t catch on, or if she does, she doesn’t say anything.

“C'mere you two.” Vriska appears at their sides again, whisking away Dave and Jade away from Rose and John. “We need two more people for seven minutes in heaven. Now go sit down.” She pushes them towards the group on the floor, and it takes them a few good seconds for their brains to register what’s going on.

“Sit down! We were just getting ready for the best game ever!!” Someone pulls them to the floor in the circle, and Dave quickly realizes that it’s Terezi Pyrope, the girl Vriska mentioned earlier.

“Alright, Han. Take your first shot.”

Ugh, this is dumb. He doesn’t want to play seven minutes in heaven, not with strangers and _certainly_ not with Jade Harley sitting in the circle with him, but he doesn’t really get a say in the end. He heaves a sigh of resignation, reaching over to the empty beer bottle in the middle of the floor and giving it a spin. Dave doesn’t look at it until he hears chuckles, and when he does look, his heart drops.

The bottle is pointing directly at none other than _Jade Harley_. Fuck fuck _fuck._

“Ha, I guess we need to go to the closet it now,” Jade says weakly beside him, and he almost tells her to _fuck it all_ , because they don’t have to put up with this bullshit. But she tugs on his sleeve and he follows her dutifully, eyes trained on her buns (her hair, not her butt!!!) They disappear into the closet and it slams shut behind them, leaving them to their own devices. Silence rises between the two of them for a while before Dave pipes up.

“It only seems appropriate that Han and Leia would get put in this mess,” he jokes, but really he’s hiding the fact that he’s filled with anxiety over the situation.

“Well, I guess I wouldn’t want to experience seven minutes in heaven with anyone but my scruffy-looking nerf herder,” Jade giggles, and Dave can only stare at her. How is she so calm about this???

“You know, we don’t have to . . . _you know_.” Jade nods.

“I know that. You wouldn’t make me do anything I wouldn’t want to do.” God, is this girl just made of 100% pure angel or something? Dave doesn’t know.

“I just want to make sure you knew that, is all.” Then she smiles. It’s a wide, opalescent smile that almost knocks Dave off his feet, and paired with her brilliant harlequin eyes . . . it’s a deadly combination.

But this is his friend, Jade! He doesn’t need to go around having . . . _feelings_. Dave doesn’t need to ruin his friendship all because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. His feet seem to think otherwise, however, drawn to the pull of Jade’s animal magnetism. Thoughts become jumbled in his mind as he leans forward, and—

“Alright, you two! Times up. You’ve gotta give the rest of us some time for some hanky panky in there!!” Terezi would ruin it. But Dave guesses it’s for the best. Also, after her words the mood is completely gone, and Dave spends the rest of the night (or his life, too) trying to erase what might’ve happened in that closet from his mind.

 

**_November_ **

God fucking damnit. Dorm turkeys should not be this hard to cook.

Yeah, Dave might’ve signed up to help out with **Underground Thanksgiving™**. As part of the floor tradition now, everyone is _determined_ to piss off Feferi Peixes the RA as much as possible before the school year runs out. Vriska is the head of the planning committee for this, and everyone follows her lead without question. Sure, she’s a bitch, but if she can get the whole floor to cooperate together using their mutual dislike of Tight-ass Fef, then he’ll follow, no questions asked.

But why on earth did he have to agree to cooking the turkey?

Dave’s plowing through about a dozen safety rules by cooking the turkey in the dorm, but Vriska told him he was the person she trusted most with the job; that and John has a soft spot for her, god forbid, and he’s gotta do what he can to keep his bro happy. So dorm turkey it is. At least he didn’t get stuck with the job of de-gutting the turkey and stuffing its ass with shit. He definitely was saved on that front.

“So, does the magazine say when it’s done?” John asks Dave.

“Not really. Sandra fucking Lee doesn’t know shit about how to give directions on how to cook a turkey. Also, did you see her recipe for Waldorf salad? C’mon Sandra, you can do better than that.”

A knock erupts from outside their door and John answers it, knowing exactly who it is.

“Password?”

“Your dorky ass better get out of the way before I scrape it up off the floor and serve it as a Thanksgiving hors d’ouevre,” Rose unpleasant voice seeps through the cheap wood of the door. John lets her in and Jade files in behind her, both of them stripping their jackets.

“Is it cold out today?” Dave inquires of them, his attention never breaking away from the cooking magazine.

“I don’t know, Dave. You tell me.”

“Woo, alright, alright. It’s getting a bit too hostile in here. C’mon guys, it’s Thanksgiving!” John attempts to placate them. It works as it usual does, because Rose and Dave are never sincere with their sarcastic quips.

“How’s the turkey coming along, Dave?” Jade asks him. Dave raises his thumb up, smirking.

“Best damn thing you’ll ever eat.”

“Really?” Dave shakes his head.

“Absolutely not. I have no idea what we’re doing. If we’re lucky, it’ll cook enough so that we can dodge a run in with salmonella or E. coli or whatever.” Rose hums, sniffing at the air.

“Ah, wonderful. Can’t wait for some salmonella turkey.”

“Hey! Be nice to Frank! He didn’t ask to get cooked in a dorm!” John exclaims. Rose raises a brow.

“Frank?” Dave shrugs, poking at the turkey.

“It’s been a long day.”

“It’s only nine in the morning?”

“We’ve been working on this turkey since five.”

“I drank ten Monsters!” John adds. Rose snorts, taking a seat on John’s bed beside him.

“Of course you did. Are you two aware that by the end of this year your blood is going to be 100% Monster Energy Drink? You might even need to get a blood transfusion.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

By the end of the day, the turkey gets overcooked (go figure, but Dave would rather it be dry then a rubbery mess) and everyone in their hall sits together, eating dry turkey and canned cranberry sauce and chatting animatedly about what they’re going to do over winter break.

“We’re not going to be in a class together anymore!” Jade whines as Dave stuffs his mouth full of turkey. He gulps it down successfully before responding.

“C’mon, that’s not true. We’ve got plenty of time to do that. We’ve still got a ton of gen ed to get through.”

“No, we won’t. If you go for your Associates it’ll be different. I’ve got to take a lot of science classes!”

“But you haven’t taken care of your science credit yet.” Jade shakes her head.

“Then we’ll take chemistry together next semester. You better get ready to have the best lab partner on this goddamn earth, Harley.” Jade giggles, knocking her shoulder into Dave’s.

“Hey, that’s supposed to be my line!” Dave smiles, genuinely smiles, and wonders in his mind what he did to get a friend like Jade Harley.

 

**_December_ **

Right as exams end, snow falls in California. It freaks Dave out because they rarely get snow in Texas, so he uses the opportunity to accustom himself to it and have fun. He teams up with Rose and they hold a snow fight against Jade and John. In the end, they all lose, abandoning their posts they worked so hard to build ( _“It’s hella quality, Rose!” “We’re open all over, Dave. I’ve never seen a sadder excuse for a snow fort.”_ ) They trade wet clothes for sweatpants and sweaters, bundling up inside the dorm and drinking hot chocolate together.

The girls go against Fef’s “No Female-Male Slumber Parties” rule and stay in the John and Dave’s dorm for the night, watching episodes of _Bob’s Burgers_ together until they fall asleep. The next morning, they depart for their homes for Christmas vacation, promising to stay in touch during the long break. John and Dave give each other a fist bump before leaving each other, John returning to Maryland and Dave to Texas.

Dave appreciates the warmth Texas has to offer. He’s never been a winter person, favoring the hot, arid climate of Texas, and when he finds himself back in it, it whispers _home_ to him. Dirk picks him up from the airport and Dave catches him up on his life, how college is fairing for him exactly, and his brother smirks knowingly.

“Told ya you’d like it. Everyone does.”

They don’t continue conversation until they’ve reached their ratty apartment once again. Dave is glad when he steps foot on the familiar gray shag carpeting, the stale stench of home filling his nostrils. He takes notice of the crappy tree they have standing in the corner of the living room, and Dave can say with certainty that he missed being here.

Dirk doesn’t drill him with any more questions until they’ve settled on the couch, legs propped up on the coffee table as they bore themselves through all nine seasons of _The X-Files_.

“So, meet anyone special at college?”

“Not anyone that adheres to the tradition definition of ‘someone special’,” Dave answers without thinking, mentally slapping himself afterward.

“Oh, so there is a someone. Who is it?” Does he tell him? Hell, he hasn’t even really begun to admit to _himself_ that she’s a someone. But she’s everything to him, and he’d be damned if he didn’t own up to his feelings.

“Well, she’s--” He never does get to tell Dirk who it is, because said girl calls him instead. As Dave answers his phone, Dirk waggles his eyebrows at him and Dave flips him the bird, disappearing to his room to talk to her.

“Hey, Jade.”

“Hey, Dave! I just figured I’d call to make sure you got in okay. Everything in Texas okay?”

“Hotter than hell, just the way I prefer it. How’s Seattle?”

“Rainy as ever. At this point, I’ll just be lucky to get outside to get the mail.” He hears a loud bark in the background, followed by Jade muffling the phone to yell at the source of the noise. She returns, giggling like a school girl. “Sorry about that! That’s my dog, Bec. Say hi, Bec!!” Another bark follows. “He’s missed me a bunch. He won’t even leave my side. It’s been a fun time.”

“Well, tell your mutt I said hi.”

“Will do. Got any plans for Christmas?”

“If you consider sitting on my ass eating Doritos and watching Netflix with my brother as ‘plans’, then yeah.”

“That’s okay. Whatever makes you happy!” A beat of silence ensues, but Dave notices that it’s not awkward at all. It’s . . . _comfortable_. Jade is the first to break the silence, ending it with a delicate yawn.

“Well, I should probably let you get back to spending time with your brother. Have a merry Christmas, Dave! Oh, and hint hint, I’ll have a gift for you when we get back. Don’t get too excited, though. It’s just a small doo-dad! Anyway, bye!!” She hangs up and leaves Dave back with the silence. He collapses back onto his bed, hand over his chest as he contemplates a couple of things.

First: Jade is a heaven-sent and he doesn’t deserve her. Second:

 _Shit_. He’s got to get her a present before he returns to school! He’ll definitely be sitting on that one his entire break.

 

**_January_ **

When he returns back to school after his long break, Dave is certain of two things: Jade Harley is a goddess in the flesh, and he is irrevocably in love with her. His heart thumps wildly in his chest like a goddamn school girl every time he sees her, and after she gives him his Christmas gift, it sort of seals the eternal hell he’s signed himself up for.

She gives him a refurbished guitar and homemade guitar picks and pretends like it’s nothing, and to Dave it means the _world_.

Goddamnit! Didn’t he say he wasn’t going to let this happen?! . . . Oh well. It’s not like it’s hard to fall in love with Jade Harley when she makes it so fucking _easy._

He feels like a goof when he hands her the gift he got her, a pair of emerald music note earrings, but it seems to be the correct thing because she squeals like a banshee before engulfing him in a bear hug.

“Thank you so much, Dave!! You’re the absolute best!” She lets go of him and puts the dangling earrings on, admiring them. “This is the greatest gift I’ve gotten, seriously.” Dave gulps, nodding his head.

“Yup, no problem,” he mutters weakly. Jade Harley has no idea of the effect she has on him, really. But unfortunately for him, John and Rose _do_ notice, and they don’t let him get by a moment without torturing him of the fact.

With friends like these, who needs enemies, anyway?

 

**_February_ **

February rolls around and Dave gets nervous because, well . . . _Valentine’s Day_. If he were like every dude in a romcom (not that he’d know anything about that, _pshh_ ), then he’d take advantage of the date to ask the girl of his dreams out. But he’s not like that, he’s the complete _opposite_ , and asking Jade Harley out makes him want to barf every time he thinks of it. And that’s not something he wants to do. He’d never be able to live it down if he barfed on Jade while asking her out.

“What’d you get for number 11? I’ve got no fucking clue what to do with all these bonds and shit.”

“ _Daaaaave_! You’ve got to at least try to get an answer!” Jade exclaims, flicking a piece of popcorn at him. They’re huddled together in the empty rec room, studying for chemistry like a couple of chumps. But Dave will take any time he can get to be with Jade. He’s weak; what can he say.

“I did. I got Abraham Lincoln, which is very weird because I don’t think Mr. Lincoln new jack shit about chemistry back then.” If he keeps this up, he’ll have the whole bowl of popcorn tossed onto his lap.

“Har dee har har, Dave,” Jade says, rolling her eyes, but her smile never disappears from her face. “Hey, what do you think about John and Vriska? They’re getting a little chummy.” Dave grunts noncommittally.

“Yeah, she’s been spending more and more quality time with him in our dorm. I could use a lot less of Vriska Serket in my room. But guess what? John’s my best bro, and that’s what best bros gotta do. Even if we think the girl he’s into is a bit of a bitch.”

“I dunno, I think John’s good for her. Maybe she’ll be more tolerable once she hangs around with him?” Dave shakes his head.

“Nope, not Vriska Serket. That’s the last adjective I’d ever use to describe her. I hope she knows what a catch she’s got.” Jade snorts.

“What, do you have a crush on John now?” Dave’s gaze narrows, his lips thinning.

“Don’t even joke about that, Har. Now what’s the answer to number eleven? I’m not getting any younger here.”

“NaCl, and stop getting your panties in a twist.” She takes a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

“Salt? Really, I couldn’t get that the answer was just fucking _salt_? God, I’m gonna fail this class,” Dave groans, throwing his head backward.

“No, you definitely won’t fail this class, Dave. You’ve got a science expert right here to help you out!” she beams.

“Can the science expert give me all the answers? Because I’ve got nothing here.”

“Ha, nice try! Anyway, Valentine’s Day is coming up.” Dave gulps, keeping direct eye contact with his homework and nothing else.

“Yup. Sure is.”

“Do you have any plans at all?”

“Nope. Just gonna hang out in my dorm, eat all the chocolate John gets for Vriska, and waste my time watching Netflix.” Jade hums, looking to the side. Did she want to hang out with him? Is that what she’s getting at? Oh boy, Dave was definitely not prepared for this. “Did you want to . . . join me?” She lights up quicker than a strand of lights at Christmas time, and Dave nearly has a heart attack.

“Sure! You better throw some video games into the mix. I hear you and John have the best games around and yet somehow you haven’t shown them to me?”

_Score._

 

**_March_ **

Since the whole floor is adamant about keeping up with floor tradition, Vriska Serket holds a St. Patty’s Day party in her room, spreading around the details of it like it’s some sort of speakeasy or something. Which it might as well be; they’ve been hoarding booze for it like dragons. Dave is put in charge of the playlist for the occasion, and he makes sure that “Shots” is on there, as well as any songs of that ilk.

Shit’s gonna be goddamn ironic, that’s what.

They almost get caught at one point, though. Fef’s been on to them since they held a late New Year’s party and someone knocked over the bottles of champagne they had, spilling it all over the floor. Feferi caught onto the smell, but could never prove that it was alcohol (especially since Vriska claimed that it was “spilled Windex” and that Feferi should probably get her nose checked.) Vriska and Terezi had to hire a service to clean their room for that one. It was hella kinds of expensive, but luckily everyone from the floor put in ten dollars each to pay for it. Anything to keep the underground parties going.

Dave’s almost certain this time that they’re gonna get caught. For the party, everyone is going to get into groups of four and play trivia, and for each question they get wrong, they have to drink a shot. Everyone’s going to be shitfaced drunk and won’t be able to leave the dorm, and Fef’s gonna have a hissy fit and threaten everybody with expulsion. But Vriska claims that the risk is “totally worth it”, and Dave couldn’t agree more on that front. He’s been dying to mark “get drunk” off of his college experience checklist.

Then of course, there’s the addendum he added later, which was “score with Jade Harley”, because he still has yet to do that. He chickened out on the number one most romantic day of the year, and he only has a month or so left to ask her out before they lose touch over the summer and never see each other again. But hey, who’s counting the days away? Definitely not him.

God, he’s fucked.

When the big night finally arrives, Dave brings his mix that he threw together and gets ready to play the most bombin’ game of trivia he’s ever played before. Naturally, he teams up with John, Rose, and Jade, and they come up with the best name ever.

“Alright, we’ve got ‘Your Mother’s Sloppy Blowjobs’ in the far right corner, in the far left corner we have ‘Our Carpets Don’t Match Our Drapes’, in the upper right corner we’ve got ‘Patriarchy’s Getting Me Down’, and finally, in the upper left corner is our team, ‘Skaia’s Hottest Club Is ‘Kanye West’s Empty Bank Account’!” Dave, Jade, Rose, and John all cheer and whoop, high-fiving each other.

“Told you guys I had the best team name,” Dave says. Rose pats his shoulder, taking a swig from her bottle of beer.

“That you did, my friend. That you did.”

Despite their name, ‘Skaia’s Hottest Club is ‘Kanye West’s Empty Bank Account’ comes in third, ending up slightly less drunk than ‘Your Mother’s Sloppy Blowjobs’. They stumble together towards the boy’s dorm, giggling from the alcohol. Dave and John begin to chant “Jesus wasn’t white!!” for a minute before Jade and Rose slap their hands over their mouths to quiet them. John drunkenly opens their door and he and Rose slip inside, leaving Dave and Jade to themselves in the hallway.

“Oh my drunk, I’ve never been this god before,” Jade moans, and Dave laughs in response.

“You’re pretty fucking drunk alright, Har. Lightweight.” Jade slaps him on the arm.

“I’m not a lightweight, you’re a lightweight!” Shortly after she stumbles forward, but Dave is there to catch her, their noses practically touching. Dave’s breath catches in his throat, heat rising to his cheeks. Her lips hover near his, breath ghosting his skin and eyes watching him carefully.

“Dave,” she whispers, but then Dave remembers something.

He’s drunk. _She’s_ drunk. He’s not gonna kiss her when he won’t even remember it in the morning.

“We better get back inside and sleep before Fef finds us,” Dave tells her. She nods her head, slight disappointment apparent on her face, and enters inside their dorm. Dave curses silently to himself, but finds out that, while drunk, forgetting and sleep are quite easy.

 

**_April_ **

April is a busy month. Dave quickly develops a case of spring fever and cabin fever simultaneously from studying so hard all day long. It isn’t really fair to him that he has to stay inside while the nice weather and fresh air are outside. He’s itching to get out of the library, but for most days, that isn’t an option for him.

It’s hard being a freshman. It’s hard and no one understands.

“Quit being a baby and study for World Civ, Dave. There’s no way you’re going to pass this class if you just sit there and bitch about it,” Rose nags him. Dave shoots her a look of disdain, grumbling while flipping through his thick-as-fuck textbook that cost him a shitload of money. Some friend she is.

“God, I hate studying. Why did they invent it, anyway?” he groans.

“They invented it so that people like you could pass your classes.”

“Studying is for chumps.” Rose merely shrugs, flipping through her own textbook for her Lit class.

“You know, if you were talking to Jade this would probably be a tad easier for you. What is with the two of you, anyhow?”

Dave wishes he knew.

Well, he does have an inkling of an idea of what it’s about. St. Patrick’s Day was not a proud day for any of their floor members, and they did, in the end, get caught. Feferi had to sit them all down for a talk about how they are minors and if they don’t get their shit together, she’s going to totally tell on them like a tattletaling five year-old. Luckily for them, they got away with it, save for having to give up all the alcohol they had stored away in case the apocalypse arrived during exam week.

That was also the day, as Dave fondly (but not quite) recalls, that he and Jade Harley almost kissed in the hallway outside his dorm room. He’s not sure if she’s mad at him because he didn’t put the moves on her, or if she’s mad at him because he almost did put the moves on her while she was veritably drunk. She doesn’t have to worry about that, though, because he’s loaded on enough self-loathing to last him a life time for it.

“Amicable differences,” Dave lies. Rose rolls her eyes.

“You two need to kiss and make up, lover boy. You don’t have a lot of time left before summer break. We probably won’t be on the same floor next year, and she’ll be focusing on her major. In other words, get to it, Romeo.”

Dave doesn’t argue with Rose simply because she’s right. He’s got to do something. But he’s not going to, because he’s an anxious mess. Besides, what would Jade Harley want to do with a guy like him, anyway?

He’ll be fine.

 

**_May_ **

He packs his boxes with a sigh, heart heavy as he watches John pull his own stuff down.

“I can’t believe we’re already done with freshman year,” John says. “What am I gonna do when you’re not my roommate next year?” Dave throws a bottle of apple juice to him.

“Come off it, John. We can put in for the same dorm and you know it. It’s the girls who we probably won’t end up near.” John nods, his mouth twisting to the side, his eyes full of disappointment.

“I wish we could all just stick together. You guys are the best, and I don’t know what I’m gonna do when Rose and Jade aren’t down the hall, ready to nag us at all hours of the night.”

“Those two know how to get onto our every last nerves,” Dave agrees, finishing packing up his clothes before moving on to his wall.

“On the bright side, Rose won’t be able to pick our locks anymore,” John offers.

“True. I don’t even want to know how or why she learned it. But truth be told, I’m gonna miss that, too. Makes life more exciting; keeps us on our toes.”

A knock erupts from the door, sharp and sudden, and it pulls Dave from the lazy reverie he had lulled himself into. When he answers it, he sees a pair of angry harlequin eyes staring up at him, impatient as ever. He gulps.

“Hey, Jade. What’s up?”

“I need to talk to you!” she exclaims. “ _Alone!_ ” Dave looks over at his shoulder to John, gesturing with his head out into the hallway.

“John, can you give us a minute?” John huffs but complies, shutting the door behind him to leave Jade and Dave in solace.

“So what’s up, Har?” She pokes him in the chest violently, her face inches from his.

“Don’t you ‘Har’ me! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You lost me there. What didn’t I tell you?” She crosses her arms, her brow furrowing.

“That you like me! What’s the deal, Strider?” Ouch. She’s never happy with Dave when she refers to him by his last name, that’s for sure. Dave feels his stomach sink like the Titanic and drop out of his ass. Words? What are words???

“I, uh--”

“Because I’ve been thinking since March that you didn’t like me at all, but in fact, I’ve been worrying my ass off over nothing because you were just too scared to tell me! What about that?!” Dave holds up his hands in surrender, but the words she says finally register in his brain seconds later.

Wait, does this mean . . .?

“Hold up, I have to defend myself on one front. Yeah, I have been too chicken shit to tell you how I feel, but I didn’t kiss you that night because we were drunk, Jade. I didn’t want to take advantage of you at all. That’s a total bs move that some fuckboy would pull.” Jade blinks, the anger slowly fading from her face into utter confusion. She tilts her head in a completely adorable way, one that makes him want to plant one on her right at that moment.

“You did that?” Dave nods his head, and Jade relaxes after that, a small grin forming on her face. “To be fair, you are a bit of a fuckboy.”

“Hey! I take offense to that!” Dave exclaims, but within one second flat Jade Harley has her lips on his, tugging at the collar of his shirt to keep him in place. His heart beats so hard that it practically soars out of his ribcage, and Dave decides that _fuck yes_ that was definitely worth the wait. Kissing Jade Harley is the best thing he’s ever done on this planet.

Unfortunately for him, the kissing stops a minute later, Jade leaning back to look at him. Her grin is now fully splayed across her face, eyes bright and shimmering.

“Was that okay?” she asks.

“More than okay. It was fucking awesome,” Dave tells her, still in awe.

“We could’ve done more of that if you had told me right away. Now we have to wait all summer long to see each other again.”

“Nah, we’ll probably see each other. And even if we don’t, I think I can wait that long.” Jade’s eyebrows shoot up.

“Really?” Dave smiles.

“For you, Jade Harley, anything.”

The moment is almost perfect, but then—

“ARE YOU GUYS DONE MAKING OUT YET?! I STILL GOTTA PACK!!” John shouts from the hallway. Jade and Dave laugh, their foreheads pressing up against each other’s.

He can hardly wait to see what next year has in store for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Fun facts regarding this fic:
> 
> -The beta kid's trivia name is actually based off of what my sister used for her trivia team name in college. It'd always be, "[Insert City Name]'s Hottest Club is __________", and the fill in the blank would always be something from like the news or something. I just thought it'd be funny to put in there haha :P
> 
> -I used television shows I watch all the time, aka The X-Files and Bob's Burgers. Both are great shows, and if you haven't watched them yet, go do it. NOW.
> 
> -When they scream "Jesus wasn't white!!!" down the dorm hall, that's a shout out to my best friend. She and another friend got drunk in the dorm last year and got in trouble for chanting that exact sentence. Finn, you are hilarious and I love you and even though you have no idea that I am a fic writer, I'd like you to know that you have a part in my writing always ;)
> 
> -My favorite parts of writing this were the dorm parties that they held to piss off Feferi. They were the best.


End file.
